Process of filtering eggs



June 20, 1939. F. B. LOMAX PROCESS OF FILTERING EGS Original Filed Jan. 26, 1935 I 42 41 I v I FE ik/mw Lanna.

Reissued June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PROCESS OF FILTERLING EGGS Frank B. Lomax, Chicago, Ill.

. Original No. 2,107,040,

dated February 1, 1938,

Serial No. 78,336, May 7, 1936, which is a division of Serial No.

3,601, January 26, 1935.

Application for reissue April 15, 1938, Serial No.

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a process of separating egg meats from shell fragments without the use of mechanically applied pressure.

More specifically, this inventiofirelates to a process for filtering eggs free from shell fragments, dirt, and hard fibrous substances comprising in part the yolk sac of the egg by the aid of atmospheric pressure.

This application is a division of my copending application filed January 26, 1935, entitled Apparatus for filtering eggs, Serial No. 3,601, issued as U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,089,702.

In the separation of egg meats i'or freezing and storage, it is desirable to uniformly mix the egg meats and tofree the mixture from fragments of egg shells, lumpsand unbroken chalaza.

the egg meats through a filter to effect a separation of shell fragments from the egg meats. Q However, the use of a pump incorporates air into the mixture and results in production of a foamy and frothy mass which is unsuitable for freezing and storing.

In this invention the pumping of the egg meats is entirely dispensed with and the filtration is effected .by the aid of atmospheric pressure and gravity.

According to the present process the eggs are broken and separated from the shells in the 30 usual manner. Either the whole .egg meats, yolks or the whites are used and are placed in a mixing tank. In this tank any seasoning ingredients, such as salt, sugar or the like, can be added.

The eggs are thoroughly mixed in the tank by an 35 agitator which acts on the egg meats at the bottom of the tank so as to prevent an'incorporation of air into the mass.

The uniformly mixed egg meats are then flowed, preferably by gravity, to an egg filter 40 where they are forced through the filter by atmospheric pressure alone. The force of the atmosphere is made effective by presenting a vacuum to the unloaded side of the filter. The porosity of the filter is sufficiently fine so that the egg meats will not run freely therethrough.

The filtered eggs may be stored temporarily and drawn off into cans for extended storage and freezing. The filter apparatus is equipped with means such as a scraper to keep the filter bed 50 clean so that it will not clog up and prevent the passage of egg meats therethrough.

It is then an object of the present invention to provide a process for filtering eggs by suction.

Another object of this invention is to provide a process for efficiently separating eggs from shell fragments andother foreign material involving the use of atmospheric pressure to force the eggs through a filterrneans.

Another object of this invention is to provide a process for forcing egg meats through a filter It has heretofore been proposed to forcibly pump having a porosity adapted to remove appreciable portions of egg shells and to disintegrate or remove the egg chalaza from the egg meats without the, aid of pumps for propelling the egg meats.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the annexed sheet of drawings which discloses apparatus designed to carry out the process of this invention.

0n the drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatical' vertical cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, of one form of apparatus used in carrying out the'process of this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the scrapers and associated filter used in the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view, with parts in vertical cross section, illustrating diagrammatically another form of apparatus used in carrying out the process of this invention.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view illustrating diagrammatically still another embodiment of apparatus suitable for effecting the process .of this invention.

As shown on the drawing:

In the following description of the apparatus shown on the drawing, identical reference char acters have been used to designate similar parts in the various modifications of the apparatus.

In Figure 1, the reference numeral l0 indicates a tank or hopper of suitable depth and having.

an apertured side wall through which a shaft II is journaled. Within the tank Ill, the shaft II has a propeller l2 thereon for mixing egg material placed in the tank. At the other end of the shaft II, a pulley is secured to receive a belt l3 driven by a motor M which may be suspended on a bracket B5 or in any other suitable manner beneath the tank or in juxtaposition thereto. The bottom central section of the tank Ill opens into a conduit l6 which extends to a suction pump l'l suitably mounted upon a base. pump -Il has 'a discharge conduit I8 whereby eg'g material which is drawn from the tank by the pump i1 is deposited in a can or other suitable receptacles provided for in this construction.

A spider I9 is mounted at the central interior portion of the tank Ill and provides a journal for a vertical shaft 2i. The shaft 2| is journaled in a second spider or arbor 22 adjacent the top of the tank Ill. The shaft 2| is provided with-a pulley having a belt 23 entrained therearound driven by a motor 24 which can be suitably mounted on a bracket 25 at the side of the tank In.

The lower end of the shaft if has one or more scrapers 26 thereabout of the type shown in plan View in Figure 2. Each scraper 2B is curved longitudinally and transversely to provide a suitable pitch tending to force material with which it comes The suctionv into contact through the filter. An angle iron rack or other support 21 is mounted about the internal periphery of the tank in a horizontal plane near its bottom. Disposed upon the support 21 is a perforate disk 28 comprising a filter. The filter 2|, in addition to being supported about its edges by the rack 21, is supported at its central portion by the arbor l9. Suitable fastening means (not shown) may lock the filter in position The filter 2! is thus securely mounted against movement.

If desired, the filter may be divided ments, the edges of which are overlapping or tightly sealed. A segmental arrangement facilitates removal of the filter for cleansing.

The filter can be made of perforated sheet metal or wire mesh. If desired, the wire mesh can be reinforced. The porosity of the filter is such that appreciable portions of egg shell and other solid bodies will not pass therethrough. Furthermore, the filter will either disintegrate the egg chalaza or remove the same, or disintegrate a part of it and remove the remaining portion thereof.

The process of this invention as carried out in the apparatus of Figure 1 is' as follows:

Egg meats are poured into the tank l0. These maybe whole eggs or may be the yolks of eggs or may be the whites of eggs. The propeller i2 within the tank .II is then set in motion so that it will stir the eggs in the'tank. Since the propeller acts on the egg meats out of contact with the atmosphere the meats will not be whipped or stirred into a foamy or frothy mass.

After theegg meats are mixed uniformly by the propeller ii, the suction pump i1 is energized to create a vacuum beneath the filter 2'8. The vacuum so created causes the pressure of the atmosphere above the filter to force the egg material on the'filter therethrough, leaving behind the unbroken chalaza, lumps, egg shells and other forms oi solid material which will not readily pass through the filter. During the operation of the device, the scraper 26 may be rotated continuously. or at intervals. The scraper releases portions of 7 materials on the screen that have been partly drawn through the filter but which are held by cohesion withother portions thereof so that they cannot be drawn entirely through the filter. The scraper cuts the unfiltered portion from the partly filtered portion, moves the unfiltered portion away from its position on the filter to prevent the same from clogging up the filter, and forces egg meats through the filter. It is therefore desirable to have the mixing propeller ii, the scraper and the suction pum functioning concurrently.

The egg material which is drawn through the filter by suction or is forced through by the scrapers passes into the conduit it into the pump i1 and is discharged through a conduit ll into a suitable can or storage tank.

In the embodiment of the apparatus shown in Figure 3, the hopper ll isidentical wth the tank or hopper Ilshown inFigure 1, and the other parts in the hopper having identicaireference numerals are identical with the parts in Figure 1. However, in the embodiments shown in Figure 3.

the discharge conduit ii communicates with a sleeve 3| carried in the central portion of a cover I I for a closed vacuum tank 32. The connections between the conduit ll and the sleeve II are airtight. In the cover ii, there may be provided a suction line 3! controlled by a valve for evacuating the interior of the tank 32.

lhe cover 1i also carries a vacuum gauge II and a vacuum breaker I. which comprises the small into segvalve or pet cock, A sight glass N can be mounted in the tank 32 to permit the operator to view the interior or the tank. A drain I1 is-provided at the bottom of the tank 32 for removing the filtered eggs contained therein. g

The process of this invention as carried out in the embodiment of the apparatus shown in Figure 3 is as follows:

Egg material, either whole eggs. egg yolks, or egg whites, is deposited in the mixing and filtering tank II and uniformly mixed therein, as described in connection withFigure 1. A vacuum pump is then put in operation to evacuate the tank 32 by withdrawing the air therefrom. when a suitable vacuum has been created, as indicated-in the vacuum gauge 35, egg material is drawn through the filter 28 and flows into the evacuated-tank 3!, where it is collected for subsequent. storagei'f When all of the contents of the tank ill have been illtered, or when the tank 32 is filled to capacity, the vacuum pump is shut off, the val e 31 is closed, the vacuum breaker 36 is opened, and the egg material is then ready to be through the drain J1.

The third form of an apparatus suitable for carrying out the process of this invention which is illustrated in Figure 4 makes use of a mixing tank ll equipped in the same manner described in connection with Figure 1. In this modification withdrawn.

I however, the drain conduit i6 communicates with a discharge conduit 4| having-a valve ll {therein controlling the discharge ,therethrough. A; drain cook 41 is provided ahead of the valve ll for'j draining the tank ll after use and during a cleaning operation. I

An evacuator tank "a, substantially identical with the tank 32 described in Figure 3, is mounted alongside of the tank ll, instead of underthe tank ID as shown in Figure 3. The tank "a isefvacuated through a valved pipe line 33a and is drained through a drain valve 41a.

The evacuating line "a, however, cominunicates with a valved conduit 41 having a valve ll therein.

gas to force the contents collected in the tank 32d through a screen ll mounted in the por- The conduit 43 can be supplied with.- compressed air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen or; othertion of the tank. After the contents of th mix- 7 ing tank II have been sucked into the vacuum tank 32a, the vacuum within this tankcan be broken by opening the vacuum breaker 3lajthereon. The compressed air or other gas is then" forced in the tank to elect the egg material through the screen 43.

When a screen 45 is used,--asdisclosed in the aforesaid parent application,'the scrapers may be omitted if desired. The screen it may be called a secondary filter, the construction of which resembles that of the filter in the mixing tank. This secondary filter operates upon the previously filtered egg material and filters out any material which is not desirable that may have accidentally been drawn through the primary filter. -lf'desired, scrapers may be supplied for the secondary filter, and the porosity of the secondary filter may be less than that of the first or primary filter. The scrapers could be mounted in substantially the same manner as the scrapers in the tank II.

The operation in general of the third form -of filter is substantially the same as for the second iorm described. Alter material has been drawn into the tank "a. the secondary filter isthenclosed,andairpressureorcarbon isadmittedtotheupperpartofthestoragetank 32a, the valve of the vacuum breaker also being closed. The air from the pressure pump, or the carbon dioxide from the pressure tanks, forces the previously filtered egg material resting upon the secondary filter 45 therethrough, so that it may be removed by a drain valve 31a at the bottom of the tanks 32a.

From the above description of the illustrated apparatus, it is evident that the process of this invention can be carried out on many forms of apparatus and that the particular forms described are intended to represent examples of types of apparatus that can be used.

The process of this invention provides for the filtration of slimy, difiiculty filterable egg meats to produce a filtered product free from unbroken chalaza, shell fragments, dirt and lumps. The egg material is not whipped into a frothy mass during the filtration operation.

I amaware that numerous details of the process may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than is necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention: a 1. The method of 1 filtering eggs which comprises stirring a mass of broken egg material containing egg shell fragments, chalaza, egg meats and the like from beneath the surface of said mass to produce a mixture of uniform color without incorporating large amounts of air into the mass, sucking the egg meats of said uniformly mixed mass through a barrier which will retain the shell fragments thereon and simultaneously disintegrating the ch'alaza as'it collects on the rler to a size small enough to pass therethrough.

3. The process of filtering egg which comprises collecting av mass of broken egg material containing egg meats, chalaza, lumps, shell fragments and the. like on one side oi a foraminous member having ioramina of a size permitting passage of egg'meats and distintegrated 'chalaza 'therethrough but retaining shell fargments, unbroken chalaza. lumps and the like thereon,

evacuating the other side of said foraminous member to suck the es: meats therethrough without incorporating air therein and thereby preventing a foaming of'theegg meats and-simul-' taneously scraping the unfiltered egg material on the foraminous member to clean the member and to cut up egg chalaza having portions passed partly through the foramina to permit a complete passage of said portions and thereby prevent a clogging of the member while effecting a distintegration of the chalaza.

4. The processof filtering eggswhich comprises mixing a mass of broken egg material containing egg meats, chalaza, lumps, shell fragments and the like to produce a homogeneous mass of uniform color, collecting said mass on one side of a foraminous member having foramina permitting the passage of egg meats and disintegrated chalaza but'withholding the shell fragments and unbroken chalaza thereon, venting the mass to the atmosphere, evacuating the other side of said faraminous member for creating a pressure differential to force the egg meats through the foramina and simultaneously scraping the unfiltered egg material on the foraminous member to release portions of materials that have been partly 'drawn through the member but which areheld by cohesion with otherportions, to move the unfiltered portions awayfrom their position on themember for preventing a clog- V ging of the member and to squeeze the egg meats rendered homogeneous, and simultaneously disintegrating the chalazae as it collects on the filter to a size small enough to pass therethrough.

6. A method of treating liquid egg meats which comprises providing a container having a substantial depth and cross sectional area and having a fine mesh filter substantially coextensive with the cross sectional area of said container and disposed near the bottom of said container, filling said container with liquid-egg meats to a substantial height above said filter, then applying pressure of a gas directly against the surface of said liquid egg meats toforce them downwardly through said filter without foaming and whereby strings, chalazae and foreign matter are removed from the liquid egg meats and the latter are thinned out and rendered homogeneous, and simultaneously disintegrating the chalazae as it collects on the filter to a size small enough to pass I therethrough. v 7. The method defined in claim 6, wherein the liquid egg meats treated consistot egg whites.

8. The method of treating liquid egg material, which comprises introducing the liquid'egg material including chalazae into a relatively large capacity tank provided with a relatively large area fine mesh screen therein, applying pressure of a gas directly to the material in said tank above the level of said egg material, whereby to force the said egg material through said screen, and simultaneously disintegrating the chalazae as it collects on the screen to a size small enough to pass therethrough.

9. The method of filtering eggs which comprises collecting a mass of broken egg material containing egg shell fragments, chalaza. egg meats and the like on one side of a foraminous barrier, applying pressure of a gas directly against the top of said barrier to force egg material down- -including egg shells on the upper side of the barrier.

FRANK B. LOMAX. 

